I relish packing for 'Le Crunch'! Cole can't wait to scrum down against old French foes

France have been fielding players out of position and losing games they were meant to win, but Dan Cole knows exactly what to expect in the front row - a whole heap of trouble.

As 'Le Crunch' looms next Saturday at Twickenham, England have won their first two RBS Six Nations games while Philippe Saint-Andre’s side have lost two and come in for fearful criticism.

The coach has been castigated for picking centre Wesley Fofana out wide, winger Yoann Huget at full back and the flaky Frederic Michalak at 10, but his front row has an orthodox, formidable look about it.

Focus on France: Dan Cole is relishing the prospect of next Saturday's clash against France at Twickenham

Cole endured a hit-and-miss scrummaging encounter with Ireland in Dublin last Sunday and is bracing himself for adversaries who have caused him problems before. The Leicester prop knows that the whims of Saint-Andre won’t spare him a gruelling afternoon.

‘They’re not picking a tighthead on the wing or vice-versa, are they?’ he said. ‘Well, you never know! That would be nice. Saying that, the wingers are quite big as well...’

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After mulling over the tongue-in-cheek suggestion that France may send out giant centre Mathieu Bastareaud to face him, Cole considered the more serious prospect that awaits him. He is destined to lock horns once again with Clermont Auvergne loosehead Thomas Domingo, who subjected him to a brutal ordeal in Paris two years ago.

‘It was the fifth game I played,’ Cole said. ‘I was up against Domingo, William Servat was at hooker and Nicolas Mas at tighthead. You do look back at it because you focus on what you’ve done against France and what they’ve done to you. You remember the intensity of the contest and what they try to do.

Remember me? Cole prepares to scrum down against the France pack in the 2011 Six Nations

'They might change certain players, but the culture of French rugby stays the same, especially in the scrum. So you relive that and work on ways to be better.

‘They like to scrummage for a long time — it’s not a case of ball in, ball out. They hit and have a go at each other. They want to scrummage, they have big guys in the second row, the flankers push and it might not look beautiful but it is bloody effective.’

For Cole, an old-school prop and bona fide Leicester man in the way he savours the scrum, facing Les Bleus is always a prestige event.

‘I do enjoy playing France more than anyone else, from that aspect,’ he said. ‘It is all people talk about when you’re playing France — the scrum. There’s a lot of hype about it, which is nice if it goes well, but not if it doesn’t. You are appreciated more in these games.’

While the England pack had their ups and downs in the set-piece in Dublin, Cole endured a painful experience of his own in the first half when Ireland prop Cian Healy stamped on his ankle in a ruck.

The Leinster loosehead has since been banned for three weeks but the 25-year-old Englishman he used as a doormat had no desire to make a fuss about the incident.

‘It’s been dealt with. They (the prosecution) asked us for a reference, but we didn’t give it because it’s on tape and they cited him, so they can deal with it. It’s not for me to cry about things because one day it might come back around,’ he said.